Flexi-wage for self-employment

Who can get it

To get Flexi-wage self-employment there's basic criteria you and your intended business need to meet.

Additional criteria will also apply - we can talk to you about this when you contact us to find out more about Flexi-wage self-employment.

Criteria your business needs to meet

You need:

• to be in the early stages of developing a business and unable to be self-sufficient
• an in-depth understanding of all aspects of your proposed business idea
• a business plan – find out how to write this here: How to write a business plan - Business.govt.nz

We must be satisfied your business idea is viable before we can consider any assistance.

Criteria you need to meet:

You need to be:

• out of work, and
• 18 years or older and not able to get NZ Super, and
• having difficulty getting or keeping a job (for example you might have barriers to finding a job because you need training, or your current job may be at risk).

You must also be ordinarily resident in New Zealand and either:

• a New Zealand citizen, or
• a resident with a residence class visa, or
• recognised as a refugee or protected person, or
• have a temporary visa that allows you to work in New Zealand and either:
  • have applied to be recognised as a refugee or protected person and are waiting on the outcome, or
  • have applied for a residence class visa and are compelled to stay in New Zealand because of unforeseen circumstances.

Who can't get it

You can't get Flexi-wage for self-employment if you're:

• re-starting a business that you've owned before, or
• already running an established business that is struggling financially, or
• currently bankrupt.

How to apply

You can only get Flexi-Wage for self-employment if you meet the eligibility criteria and we are convinced your business idea is viable. To do this, we'll meet with you and get you to give us details of your business idea so we can assess it in detail.

Step 1: Appointment for initial eligibility

Call us on 0800 559 009 to book an appointment.

At the appointment we will:

• check if you and your business meet the eligibility criteria
• discuss how your job search is going
• talk about your business idea, your needs and what type of help we may be able to offer.

We may ask if you have a business plan, and if you're already operating any other businesses.

Step 2: Give us details of your business

After your appointment you need to give details of your business idea. This includes details about:

• your business plan
• any relevant skills and experience
• market research
• marketing and competition
• finance and operations
• compliance and risk planning.

We'll tell you how you can send this information to us. We may also ask for your findings and proof of research for these things.

Step 3: Appointment for business plan

If we're satisfied with the information you have provided, we'll book an appointment with you go through your business details and discuss your business idea in full. We'll also talk about developing your business plan, and whether a Business Training and Advice Grant could help.

Step 4: Assessing your business idea

To make sure your business idea is viable, we'll send your business plan to be independently assessed. If it's approved you'll be granted Flexi-Wage for self-employment.

We'll then send you a contract, which you need to complete and email back to us with evidence of your bank account number.

If you get the subsidy

We'll:

• contact you regularly to see how things are going
• send you 4-weekly claim forms for the Flexi-wage subsidy over the period of the contract.

We'll make sure you know how to make a claim every 4 weeks.

Mid-project financial report

You'll need to provide a mid-project financial report within the first 12-20 weeks. The report needs to outline things like:

• productivity levels (for example, the amount of work or items manufactured)
• actual cash flow
• a comparison of performance against the original business plan
• cash flow expectations for at least the next 6 months.

We'll let you know when we need this and who to send it to. The report will be reviewed by an independent person, and we'll let you know the outcome of this review.

Other help available

Business Training and Advice Grant

You may be able to get up to $5,000 to help you develop a business plan and/or train in business skills, advice and project reports.

Self-Employment start up payment

You may also be able to get help with essential start-up costs, for example furniture or the first lot of stock.